Janet and I often remark that it is the little surprises that impact us far more than they used to. Maybe it’s growing older, or just maturing in our faith walk, but we are remarkably grateful when there are small acts of kindness that we experience.
We have lived in our home 12-1/2 years now and know most of our neighbors. It’s a little bit like the old days when we grew up and knew almost every family on the block. Those days, for the most part, seem to be more foreign now. But we are blessed to live on a street in an area that values authentic interaction and genuine concern for one another.
One thing, though, that has been tough to reconcile is how quickly the younger neighborhood kids are growing. When they trick or treat, or do things for scouts, the high school, or to raise money for Riley Children’s Hospital, I admit that sometimes I think I am looking at a stranger, rather than someone who just grew four inches during the summer! That’s probably the toughest thing to stay attuned to.
One of our neighbors actually grew up next door to us in one of our prior homes 40 years ago. She was a little girl back then and now she is married, has a family and is a pillar of our community. Of course, I don’t think Janet and I are old enough to have watched Jenna grow from a little girl to the woman she has become!
Even more difficult to believe is that Jenna has a teenager who is older than Jenna was when we first me her. Maggie is just as outgoing and when she was a very young girl, she loved to paint rocks and place them around the neighborhood. They added a ray of sunshine when we went on walks, and sometimes we would see if rocks were hidden under large trees, behind fence posts or other areas that we chose to search. It was like a grand Easter egg hunt.
We had several in our parkway and, eventually, the paint wore off and Maggie grew up. We miss those little tokens of kindness. Last fall, a neighborhood girl came around looking for donations to Riley Children’s Hospital. We always help out – it’s one of the causes that we love to support. Anyway, I’m sure that Maggie could tell that I didn’t recognize her at first. She re-introduced herself and reminded me that she was the little girl who, so many years ago, painted the little rocks around the neighborhood.
Some rocks had images of smiley faces, or short notes, but they all were encouraging and lifted spirits in the neighborhood. Some even had paintings of flowers, trees, or other appropriate scenery. Of course, Janet and I reminded her of how much joy those small rocks brought to us all those years.
Fast forward to about a month ago… We were starting to do our outside cleanup and things were coming along. One Sunday morning I went down to the mailbox, before church, to get the paper for Janet. As I scanned the front of the house, I noticed a piece of trash near one of our trees. However, as I walked over to pick it up, I broke out in a smile as I saw a freshly painted small rock. Of course, I later found out that Maggie had been busy over the winter painting more rocks… In fact, every tree in our yard, including the ones in the parkway, had its own rock – bringing a little joy to people who walk down the street and, of course, to us. She clearly had made the trip over the night before and wanted to surprise us in the morning.
Admittedly, I was a little concerned that people would walk off with the rocks, but we decided to leave them where Maggie had lovingly placed them. I can’t believe that she was still interested in doing something that she did as a young girl more than a decade ago. I went over to thank her and spoke with her Dad. He told me that Maggie remembered how much we loved her artwork and was all excited to give us this gift. And a wonderful gift it was.
Now, it’s a constant reminder of the small surprises, the small kindnesses that people do for one another. Who would have thought that something so seemingly insignificant could bring us such joy. We are constantly surprised by the unexpected gifts and blessings we receive each day. God is the best gift giver.
Our verse for tonight is from the book of James. In his book, James tells us, in James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” My encouragement this evening is that God loves giving us surprises and uses other people in our lives to accomplish His goals. Certainly, Maggie was the instrument of one of these divine surprises. My prayer is that we will all appreciate the small blessings we receive in our lives and that God will open our eyes to His presence in every breath we take. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…